Capetonians take their Saturday-morning market-hopping very seriously. This neighborhood market outgrew its former home at an urban farm in Oranjezicht and moved into fancy digs at the V&A Waterfront, but it retains its charm. Capetonians pop into the first tent for their weekly shopping, stocking up on fresh figs, heads of cauliflower, and a rainbow of carrots, persimmons, and chiles. When they’re done, they head to the next tent to fill up on everything from burgers to gluten-free brownies.

Getting a reservation at Asian hotspot Bao Down is not an easy task, even after the restaurant reopened in a larger space in Green Point. Opened by husband-and-wife team Graham and Philippa Oldfield (former head chef at Chefs Warehouse and a former caterer, respectively), the restaurant is consistently packed, and with good reason. Inside the retro pink-and-blue space, small but mighty dishes fly out from the kitchen, with options like prawn toast, Korean fried chicken baos, and yellowtail sashimi in a zingy coconut cream.

Chef Mmabatho Molefe has created a restaurant that celebrates Nguni cuisine. The menu is a love letter to her culture, highlighting traditional ingredients like offal, sorghum, and mielies (corn), which she transforms through classic and modern techniques. Expect to find dishes like mielie breadsticks with sweet corn dip and parsley mayo or corned beef tongue with tomato puree, amasi, chilies, tomato jellies, and crispy onion. The setting is equally enticing: Located at Makers Landing at the V&A Waterfront, the industrial restaurant opens up to a working harbor where giant ships are parked across the way. On the weekends, Makers Landing bounces to life with loads of food entrepreneurs — so go early to see the other offerings.

Capetonians can’t get enough of the salads from chef Colette Robert’s General Store Kitchen & Grocer. Inside the nook of a restaurant, daily dishes might include halloumi salad with grilled peppers or roasted squash with cabbage and lime, as well as decadent treats like doughnuts crammed with vanilla custard or gooey chocolate tortes. Snag a coveted seat along the wood-lined wall or take a meal to go. Just don’t leave without a flat white. The General Store pours one of the best cups of coffee in the city.

You might not recognize Hemelhuijs if you only stop by every few months. Chef and owner Jacques Erasmus transforms the menu every season and changes up the restaurant’s interiors to match, painting the walls in bold new colors. One enticing thing you’ll always find on the menu, though, in one form or another, is thick slices of mosbolletjie bread, which is laced with aniseed and grape must. 

Chef Matt Manning, who has worked in Michelin-starred restaurants in London, opened his unfussy restaurant Grub & Vine in 2018. While the food is described simply as bistro-style fare, it’s certainly more refined than everyday eats. Manning’s solid, honest cooking is everything you want from a lazy Sunday lunch, including dishes like roasted line fish with sweet corn risotto or venison loin with celeriac puree.

Dubran is better known for Indian food, but you don’t need to cross the country to enjoy samosas and curries. Chef Seelan Sundoo, who has three spots in the city, offers a flavor-packed menu with dishes like lamb kebabs, Kerala roasted chicken, and prawns from the South Coast cooked in a rich tomato sauce. Perhaps the most quintessentially South African dish is the bunny chow, a hollowed out half loaf of white bread loaded with chicken, lamb, prawn, or beans. Originated in KwaZulu-Natal, it’s delicious, warming, and like nothing else in South Africa.

Walk past Tomson, set along the city’s buzzy Bree Street, and you might miss it. The Cantonese street food restaurant is small but oh-so-mighty. Owned by Andrew Kai, who named the restaurant after his father (as in Tom and son), the menu features a collection of moreish meals like pork and shrimp wonton dumplings, crispy pork belly, and roast Cantonese duck served with pancakes. Make sure you stop by for a glass of bubbly at the neighboring Leo’s Wine Bar beforehand.

This low-key spot is popular with Cape Town’s Cape Malay Muslim community for its simple, delicious food. Pop in with a friend to split a spicy steak, chicken, or sausage Gatsby, a classic local style of sandwich. Supersized Gatsby subs often overflow with saucy meat and french fries, and they’re usually cleaved into two or four generous portions. While you can pick one up at any local takeaway, as fast-food joints are called around town, the versions at Mariam’s Kitchen are especially beloved. 

When Fyn opened in late 2018, people couldn’t get enough of its slick interior and spectacular location. Since it was listed on the 50 Best Restaurants List in 2022, the buzz has only increased. Set on the rooftop of the historic Speakers’ Corner building, the lofty glass-fronted dining room is decorated with pendant lights, leather booths, and marble countertops, with views of Table Mountain and Lion’s Head. Chef Peter Tempelhoff’s fine dining Japanese menu with South African accents is ever-evolving, featuring dishes like dune spinach tempura and prawn cooked in kelp. No matter what’s available, though, the food is invariably as polished as the restaurant itself.

Opened by twin sisters Jesse and Jamie Friedberg, Between Us is the perfect restaurant for an easygoing but polished breakfast or lunch date. The restaurant feels homey and welcoming, with warm wood and stone decorating the interior. On the menu are house-made chicken pies, scrambled eggs with Parmesan and mushroom, and pappardelle with oxtail ragu. Casual daytime fare has never been so decadent.

The dining room in the Roundhouse has long been iconic for its historic structure and staggering views of the mountains and glistening Atlantic. The building, which dates back to 1786, has changed hands a few times, but finally reopened a few years ago as Salsify, run by local star chefs Luke Dale-Roberts and Ryan Cole. The tasting and a la carte menus are filled with stunning dishes like cold poached abalone with egg yolk dressing or smoked springbok with goat cheese mousse and puffed sorghum. Plus the views over the mountains and ocean are as good as ever.

A number of skilled chefs have passed through the kitchen at La Colombe, but the restaurant has remained one of the city’s most iconic dining destinations. Executive chef James Gaag cooks seasonally driven fine dining dishes heavy on local ingredients like tuna and springbok. Locals show up for this fancy fare but also for the location on the organic farm of the Silvermist Estate winery, with views over the Constantia Valley and False Bay. It’s a much-loved spot for weekend meals, especially Sunday lunch, which the kitchen takes to a whole new level.